The present invention relates to tools for assisting in changing a vehicle tire and wheel assembly, and in particular to a tool which assists in positioning and lifting the vehicle tire and wheel assembly into position for installing on, or removal from, a vehicle hub.
The process of removing or installing a vehicle tire and wheel assembly from or onto a vehicle hub is complicated by the necessity of lifting and positioning the tire and wheel assembly into position relative to the vehicle hub. The tire and wheel assembly is typically heavy and unwieldy, which adds to the difficulty of precisely aligning the lug bolt openings in the wheel for alignment with the lug bolts on the vehicle hub. Various types of tools and apparatus have been suggested as solutions to this problem.
The general concept of a tool to help lift and position a tire onto a vehicle hub is disclosed in patents going back to the time of the invention of the automobile. Many of the tire lifts or tire changing tools are quite heavy and cumbersome. They appear to be primarily used to move aria position tires in garages. Most of them are wheeled and generally use a fulcrum or lever type principle to maneuver the tire into position.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,828,955 discloses a tire changing tool which uses a flat surface with an upturned rim for supporting the tire. The tool is wheeled with a long handle to provide leverage. The tire is lifted by pushing down on the handle of the lever and the tool is pivoted about the axle of the wheels.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,256,430 by contrast has a seat which allows the weight of the user to lift the tire into position.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,378,154 also uses a long handle for leverage. The tire, however, is carried in a cradle between a pair of rollers.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,207,443 is somewhat simpler but it also includes wheels, cradle with an upturned edge and handle.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,691,454 discloses a wheel mounting device which cradles the tire between a pair of rods. The tire is lifted into position by pushing down on a handle so as to pivot the cradle against the ground.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,176,487, the wheel is supported in a pair of arms which have caster wheels or skids at the outer ends. The handle is used to lift the cradle so as to pivot the cradle about the skids on the outer ends of the arms. The handle is intended to fold for compact storage.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,555,583 also discloses a compact tool for lifting a tire into position. This tool is also intended to function as a lug wrench.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,504,345 is a fairly simple tire changing tool with a pair of lever arms and a handle for lifting the tire into position between the lever arms.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,815,877 discloses a tool for cradling a tire between two lever arms and lifting the tire into position by downward pressure on a handle. The fulcrum point is a skid mounted to the underside of the handle.
Numerous other patents have been issued for wheeled dollies that are considerably larger and more complex than the tire lift tool of the present invention.